Red Osier Restaurant Sues Former Chefs Over Alleged Stolen Secret Recipes

The Red Osier Landmark Restaurant in Stafford has filed a trade-secret lawsuit against two of its former chefs and the owner of a competing Batavia restaurant, alleging the chefs stole proprietary recipes, including the steakhouse's Signature Prime Rib and Twin Cold Water Lobster Tails, when they quit and went to work at Sunny's Restaurant.

The complaint, filed February 3 in New York Supreme Court, Genesee County, names chefs Nicole Granata and Justin Newmark as defendants alongside Sunny's owner David Snyder and his companies DJS II and Snyder Corp. According to the complaint, Granata and Newmark abruptly quit their chef positions at the Red Osier in September 2025 and subsequently used the trade secrets at Snyder's newly reopened Sunny's restaurant in Batavia.

The lawsuit, brought by plaintiff's counsel Refermat & Daniel PLLC, alleges the three parties conspired to use the Red Osier's recipes at the competing eatery. The complaint does not specify which recipes the steakhouse contends were stolen beyond listing the Signature Prime Rib and Twin Cold Water Lobster Tails as examples, though local reporting notes those dishes appeared on Sunny's dinner menu.

The legal claims span six categories: trade secret misappropriation, intellectual property, conversion, employment, tortious interference, and contract and quasi-contract claims. In its filing, the Red Osier demands that Sunny's return the recipes and destroy all copies, stop selling and advertising the dishes, and issue a public retraction.

The case, formally captioned The Red Osier Landmark Restaurant, LLC v. David Snyder, was listed without an assigned index number as of the filing date. No statements from Snyder, Granata, or Newmark have been made public in connection with the suit, and no damages amounts appear in the available court records.